Tuesday, July 23, 2013

More on Neighborhood Watch Program

I do have to say that in all my years living in Forest Hills, I think the crime sprees that have been going on for the past few months are the worst I have ever seen in this area. Between the car break-ins, street muggings, house burglaries in the Gardens, and violent attacks/rapes, this is by far the worst I have ever seen it here. I don't know what is going on, but something is not right. It could have something to do with all the new attention the neighborhood has been getting thanks to the great new pubs and restaurants that have opened. That's the only new ingredient in the mix that I can see from my vantage point.

19 comments:

Drake, how dare you publicize this racist mob who will only be profiling young blacks and latinos who are just in the neigborhood to see a movie (without talking or texting during it) and/or eating at buffalo wild wings (and tipping at least 15%). Racist!

Please don't blame Flying Big, Banter, etc., for getting us attention. Astoria, Williamsburg and Park Slope have tons of hip restaurants and they're aren't being overrun by thieves. Here's my theory on why: most of the areas surrounding them are wealthy (ex., Lower East Side, LIC).

Not FoHi - it is sandwiched between the heavily immigrant and lower working class areas of Jackson Heights and the poorer areas of Jamaica. We are ripe for picking. More police are clearly needed.

However, I do believe the addition of Buffalo Wild Wings to our lineup of new places on Austin was a mistake. Rowdy, sports-type bars tend to attract aggressive, low-income types. You may say I'm "profiling" but you have to be a certain type of person to go to BWW on a regular basis.

Obviously you don't read this blog often or you'd be quite aware it's hard to find a stronger supporter of places like Banter (just added to my recommended restaurant list with much fan fair), Flying Pig and Station House, and many other worthy great places that have recently opened in this neighborhood. To point out that the attention these new great places have brought to the neighborhood could be behind the reason for the increase in crime obviously does not cast blame on them.

I agree, however, with what you say about the proximity of Forest Hills to other struggling areas of Queens and that the local police presence may have been caught by surprise by the sudden publicity Forest Hills has received and has to be adjusted accordingly to provide adequate policing for our newly famous neighborhood.

Williamsburg and Park Slope are pretty darned near Bed Stuy, Bushwick and Crown Heights, last I checked. In fact, both Bed Stuy and Crown Heights are closer to Park Slope than Jamaica is to Forest Hills. Next theory?

What are you talking about? Park Slope is surrounded by worse ghettos than we have in Queens. Since when were Crown heights and Bushwick wealthy? That being said, park slope actually does have its fair share of crime. Astoria actually has more crime than Forest Hills. We just think this is high because we're not used to it as our neighborhood, when it was sleepy, had suburban level crime. I agree with Drake that the new businesses are bringing more attention to the area. However, I do think the incomes in the neighborhood are rising and people walk around here like we're in a bubble , not hiding their valuables and such that we are ripe for the picking. Take, for instance, Greenwich Village. I've seen a large amount of cars with busted windows and knew a few people who had been mugged there, whereas, I haven't been aware of armed robberies in the last decade I've lived in FH until now. We're so startled by this because it had been so rare to us, whereas nicer neighborhoods within the city have been dealing with this. What we need are more police officers patrolling, more residents calling 911 when they see what looks like an attempted pick pocket or any crime and for our residents to be more street smart.I don't think BWW is going to have much of an effect. For one, it opened after this crime wave started. Also, Bartini that was located in Station Square until a bouncer killed a patron a couple of years go attracted far more derelicts than BWW ever will. BWW is a fun place to take the whole family and Forest Hills did not have very many of those so my guess is that those low income people will bring their kids. Not exactly gang banging material. I know I will go there with my family so I won't have to worry about my kids spoiling a more sophisticated evening elsewhere, and I'm college educated and drive a Lexus. Don't make generalizations unless you've done market research.

Better to keep quiet and let others think you're a fool than to open your mouth and prove it. Anyone who has been to BWW would see that it is no different from TGI Fridays or Uno's but with sports themes and more TVs. Drake even posted the menu which clearly contains a kids menu. My own kids got little paper crowns along with crayons and coloring sheets while there. Quite the informed comment, my friend!

Hate to break it to you, but BWW and TGIF aren't appropriate places for babies. You might think so. Management definitely thinks so, because they want your money, but they are not appropriate. Strollers and bars shouldn't be mixed. And I can't stand babies crying up a fucking storm when I'm trying to watch the game with my buddies. You're delusional to think that bars are an appropriate place for kids.

Are you really going to dig your hole deeper just to prove your point? TGIF, Chilli's, Uno's, Dave and Busters, Ruby Tuesdays and BWW are bar & grill RESTAURANTS. They all have a separate bar area where children shouldn't be seated, but are primarily restaurants and are all advertised as family establishments. The only reason why I go there is because I know my kids will have plenty of company. If you want to know what a real bar and not a bar in a restaurant looks like, try the Flying Pig, Station House, Tap House, 5 Burro or Irish Cottage. If you can't see the difference between a bar and a bar & grill restaurant, then I guess you must be one of those derelicts attracted to BWW that everyone was worried about.